Conveyer-bucket.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

W. T. JAMES. .GONVEYER BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED 0 01216, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented. May 3, 1964.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM THOMAS JAMES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CONVEYER-BUCKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent'NO. 758,661, dated May 3, 1904.

Application filed October 16, 1902. Serial No. 127,484. (No model.)

a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveyer-Buckets, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to elevating apparatus, and particularly to conveyer bucket carriers mounted in chain fashion. Among other objects, it is designed to provide, first, a conveyer in which the bucket itself forms a link of the conveyer-chain, thereby doing away with the usual chain upon which buckets are mounted; secondly, to provide a bucket which is simple in construction and utilizes the entire space occupied by the bucket for a carrying space; thirdly, to provide a conveyer bucket which may be used going in either direction, that is to say, either side'up, for carrying a load; fourthly, to provide an easy and eflicient means for dumping the bucket; fifthly, to provide a conveyer bucket which dispenses with the hooks and levers usually employed for dumping the same, and to provide a device of the kind which cannot easily get out of order.

The above objects, as well as other advan tages which will hereinafter appear, I attain by means of the mechanism which I have illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of two buckets linked together.

Figure 2 isa side elevation of the same inverted and with the bottom in a different po sition.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of the bucket, in my preferred form.

Figure 4: is a perspective View of the socket sleeve used to support the pivoted end of the shifting bottom shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is aplan View of the buckets shown in Figure 1, the lower half being in section at about the height of the axle of the rollers.

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line (6) in Figure 5, looking in the direction of the arrow shown.

Flgure 7 shows a central vertical section a the through a modified form of the conveyer bucket, in which I use a different mode of mounting the bottom in the same.

Figure 8 is a diagram of an elevator, mounted and showing the use and operation of my improved bucket.

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the lever and tripping apparatus used for manipulating the bottom of the bucket in order to dump the same.

Elevator buckets are ordinarily mountedupon a series of links of a chain which are designed to engage with a sprocket wheel supporting the chain; and the buckets are usually only capable of being partially filled, and the buckets when in use are not capable of being filled except onone side and must make ,acomplete circuit and reversal in order to come right side upagain, ready to receive another load. I have improved on this apparatus and obviated all of these difficulties, by constructing and mounting the bucket as shown, in preferred form, in Figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and'6. As therein-shown, I provide two parallel sheet metal sides 10, which are identically alike and are provided with slightly off set ends, and apertures for receiving the axle of rollers, which are to support the weight of the buckets upon tracks. These sides serve also as connecting links between the buckets, and support the weight on the rollers 14. One end of each side 10 has an off-set wing 11 which besides providing a bearing for the shaft 13, laps over the end of the next bucket and forms the pivot joint therewith. The bucket is provided with a plane end plate 12 extending vertically in line with the axle, as

' shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 and has a movable bottom 16. This bottom (see Fig. 3) carries, working in an oblong opening, a trunnioned socket 20, attached to the bottom of the bucket by lugs 19, which rides on a vertical rod 18, so that the bottom may shift from the top to the bottom of the bucket. The other end of the bottom 16 is free and rests upon a flange at the opposite end of the bucket. The bottom is provided with angle iron in the shape shown, which not only strengthens the same, but is used in dumping the bucket, as hereinafter described.

From Figure 6 it will be seen that eachbucket is provided at one end with a pair of vertical rods 18, and that they are supported at the top from lugs bent over from the side of the bucket; at the bottom they are supported rigidly in brackets 21, which may be riveted on the sides 10. The angle irons 17 are set inwardly from the edge sufficiently to allow free play of the bottom between the sides 10. The wheels or rollers 1 1 may have their axles in a sheath, or simply bearing in the sides, the axles serving also as pivot pins for connecting the pairs of sides as links of the conveyer chain. Each bucket may be provided with any desired end, and of course any other desired form of bottom may take the place of the movable bottoms shown. From Figure 2 it will be plain that when the bottom is pushed inward, so that the end engaging the bars 18 rises first, or highest, the other edge of the bottom will be dropped off its seat on the flange 35 and the bottom may then drop out, swinging on the trunnions of sleeve 20. And this action will be the same if the bucket is inverted, so that the bottom is on the other side of the bucket, as illustrated in Figure 1. For the purpose of dumping, both sides of the bottom might evidently be supplied with the ribs 17; but I find providing them on one side usually sufiicient.

In the modified form of construction of the bucket in Figure 7, the bottom 16 is pivoted at one end by means of a sleeve 33, which works upon the axle 13 of the carrying wheel. In this case the end of the bucket, 12, is curved about the axle 13 as a center, and is provided both top and bottom with the inturned flanges 34 in order to limit the movement of the bottom.

In use, a long series of these buckets joined in the manner of a chain may be run upon the track 22, as shown in Figure 8. On the ascending side the track 22 may be doubled, and conveniently I provide a retaining plate shown in edge view and marked 23 in Figure 8, which extends between the sprockets, covering the buckets, and ending at the opening of the chute as clearly shown in dotted lines in said figure. At the top of the elevator the chain of buckets runs over a pair sprocket wheels, 24:, and when itis desired to dump at this place, it will be plain that the material coming out from under the guide 23, will be deposited at the end of the same. But if it is desired to carry the material horizontally to a further point, I provide an arrangement by which the material as it is dumped at 24:, is caught in the trough, 25, and from there falls a short distance by gravity, again being caught in the now reversed buckets, after they have passed by the wheel 26. It is then carried on to the point where it is desired to be dumped; and for this purpose I have provided a device shown in detail in Figure 9. The lever 27 is fixed to a rock-shaft 28, which by a pair of links, 30, operates the lever arms, 31, mounted on the shaft 29, and carrying each a pulley wheel, 32. These wheels 32, when thrown upward by the lever, evidently will engage the ribs 17 on the bottom of the bucket, and by pushing the bucket upward will cause the end of the bottom which is engaged by the sleeves 20 to rise and increase the distance from flange 35, and thereby draw the edge of the bottom shown at the right of Figure 2, over toward the left, unseating it and allowing it to drop down and dump the material, all as will be evident from the construction.

The bottom hanging by the trunnions 19, will, as the bucket is brought back in reverse position, again drop back into the bucket, the form of the rib 17 will insure the heavy end which is engaged to the collars 19 and 20 to move downward first, whereby the edge at the opposite end of the bottom will of course clear the flange 35, and drop into place on the opposite side of the bucket,the bucket being thus inverted ready for a new load. By means of this shifting of the bottom of the bucket, it will be observed that the full capacity of the bucket is utilized, and also, that without again reversing the position of the bucket after dumping, it may be filled again.

The operation of the modification shown in Figure 7 will be evident from inspection of that figure. vided with strengthening ribs 17 as before, and it is attached at one end by the collar 33 to the shaft 13, bearing the rollers which carry the weight of the bucket. The other end of the bottom is free to swing and is prevented from going outside of the bucket by means of the inturned flanges 34 at both top and bottom of the curved end 12. By use of this form of bucket the dumping is as usual. But it will be observed that there is a decided advantage in having the sides of the box themselves form the links of the chain which composes the conveyer, and in the capability of being filled from either side. The parts are interchangeable, since the two sides of the box are identically alike. This simpler form of the bucket shown in Figure 7 is of course adaptable to any kind of conveyer and any form of bucket. The larger part of the space occupied by the bucket is available for a load in this form, and in the other form the entire space occupied by the bucket is available for a load. By utilizing the sides of the bucket itself as the links of the chain forming the carrier, it will be observed that I do away with a good deal of mechanism to be found in other types of conveyers;that is, the bucket side performs the double duty of forming links of a chain and also of forming and supporting the bucket itself. By providing the shifting or movable bottom which acts by gravity alone, I also do away with the usual lever and spring catches that are customary in such devices. The sides of the buckets are parallel, and may be made The pivoted bottom 16 is pro- IIO of a single sheet of flat metal stamped to form the off-set ears which lap over the next preceding bucket. Of course, these links with overlapping sides may be used in any desired shape of bottom, for either vertical or horizontal work, the essential thing being that the side itself forms the link of the conveying chain.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated it in preferred form, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1. A conveyer bucket having sides and a reversible bottom, to form a loading space alternately on one side and the other of the bottom, substantially as described.

2. In a conveyer, a bucket having sides form ingalink of the conveyer,and a bottom capable of shifting from bottom to top of the said sides.

8. In a conveyer, a series of buckets having integral sides loosely connected to the bottoms, and pivoted together near their centers to form. a reversible conveyer chain, substantially as described. V

4:. In a conveyer, a bucket having duplicate formed parallel sides, formed with holes for hinging to other buckets near'the center, so as to be reversible and having a shiftable bottom, substantially as described.

5. A conveyer bucket having duplicate parallel sides, and having between thema gravity hinged bottom, capable of shifting and reversing to form a bottom on either side of the bucket.

6. In a conveyer, a series of buckets having parallel sides hinged together to form a chain, and each bucket having a reversible bottom reciprocating between the two edges of said sides.

7. A conveyer bucket having a bottom hinged and adapted to drop out of place by gravity, combined with means for restoring the same into normal position.

8. A series of conveyer buckets hinged together by means of their sides as links, each being provided with one end piece and at the opposite end a hinged bottom with a free end reciprocating between the top and bottom of the said end piece, substantially as described.

9. A conveyer bucket composed of flat sides having off sets for overlapping another bucket, and provided with perforations for hinging and carrying the axles of wheels at its two ends, and provided with a shifting bottom with means for releasing the same to dump as the bottom is pushed from one side toward the middle, substantially asdescribed.

10. In a conveyer bucket, the combination with two parallel sides of a bottom composed of a flat piece of metal with projecting ribs thereon, and provided at one end with two pivoted sleeves which are adapted to ride over a rod arranged vertically between the sides of the bucket.

11. A conveyer bucket having a bottom which is hinged on trunnions at one end, said trunnions sliding over vertical rods'arranged between the sides of the bucket, and the opposite ends of said bottom freely resting upon a flange, so that by the motion of the sleeves over the rods, the free edge is drawn out of contact, and the bottom may drop out, substantially as described.

12. In a conveyer, the combination with a series of hinged buckets, of a vertical guide for the buckets, a covering plate for retaining the contents of the bucket therein, an overhead sprocket wheel for dumping the said buckets, an inclined chute to receive the contents of the said buckets and convey them to another part of the track or conveyer, means for reversing the position of the buckets and reloading them from said chute, and means for dumping said buckets.

13. In a conveyer, the combination with a series of buckets, each provided with a shifting bottom therein, of a shiftable roller contact arranged to exert a thrust upon said bottom and release the same and dump the contents of the bucket, substantially as described.

14:. The combination of a bucket having a hinged shifting bottom provided with a projecting rib, and a shiftable dumping support to engage said rib and shift the bottom to release one end of the same and dump the bucket, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM THOMAS JAMES.

Witnesses: PAUL CARPENTER, DAVID E. BAKER. 

